war, felt it, been in it, hurt by it body and heart are the very people i want deciding on when and whether we go to another. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. >> good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show" from new york. republicans want immigration reform, but for only one reason, to protect their political hides. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> i believe we are finally at a moment when immigration reform is in our grasp. >> the president is pushing for citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants as forces on the right line up to stop him. >> obama is seeking political victory. >> tonight karen finney and e.j. dionne on the president's historic proposal and the republican pushback. >> just remind everybody, obama is not going to be president forever. hillary clinton takes a powerful curtain call at foggy bottom. >> it's really important that women are out there competing at

the highest levels of government and business. >> i'll tell you if she dropped any hints about 2016. plus, the sandy bill passes in the senate. but not before 36 republicans totally disgrace themselves. i'll introduce you tonight to the sandy 36. and it's a modern-day civil rights struggle between workers and management in the state of mississippi. i'll tell you why these nissan employees say they're being denied a voice in the workplace. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching there is more hope tonight for 11 million people who are currently living in fear. >> i'm here today because the time has come for common sense, comprehensive immigration reform. the time has come. now is the time. >> president obama went to a las vegas high school today to outline his own immigration reform plan. the cheers from the crowd tell you a lot. there are places in this country where the threat of deportation

hangs over the heads of many people. >> the good news is that for the first time in many years, republicans and democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together. members of both parties in both chambers are actively working on a solution. >> so here we have the president praising the framework unveiled by eight democratic and republican senators. president obama is urging using his bully pulpit to make sure there is an urgency to get real reform done. >> the foundation for bipartisan action is already in place. and if congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, i will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away. >> the details of the president's own plan for citizenship are supported by mainstream america. >> we have to lay out a path, a process that includes passing a

background check, paying taxes, paying a penalty, learning english, and then going to the back of the line behind all the folks who are trying to come here legally. that's only fair. >> and i'll have commentary on that in a moment. i'm not all on board with it. it sounds good, but the path to earn citizenship has a lot of supporters in congress. in fact, it's the same path outlined by the group of senators. president obama's plan has a few more specifics. the path to citizenship is not contingent on meeting security triggers like additional border security and unmanned drones. it calls for improvements to immigration courts. and it requires the same visa rights for same-sex couples as everyone else. now, these minor differences cause some grandstanding from republican senator marco rubio out of florida today. rubio intends to make this issue political. >> if this endeavor becomes a bidding war to see who can come up with the easiest, quickest, and cheapest pathway to

greencard possible, this thing is not going to go well, folks. >> of course there is really only one place for republicans to go when they want to make political hay out of an issue. >> obama is seeking political victory. obama doesn't care about enforcing existing law. so people say why will he enforce anything that is new. >> once again, limbaugh is clearly delusional. one of the reasons we need immigration reform is because there were a record number of deportations last year. president obama has presided over 1.5 million deportations in four years. it took w. eight years to deport 2 million people. but marco rubio still went on air with the peddler of lies to kick obama on immigration. >> obama is not going to be president forever. as long as the next four years may seem, he won't be president forever. we have to write laws with that in mind as well. >> president obama agrees with marco rubio and other senators on almost every aspect of

immigration reform. but republicans are not doing this because they are interested in real reform. john mccain actually told us the truth. they are doing it so they can win elections. meanwhile, our current immigration fiasco takes a tremendous toll. now, listen to some of the callers on my radio show who told me how the current immigration system is tearing their families apart. >> i'm a new citizen. i'm married to my wife. she's from nicaragua. for the last 18 years. we have three beautiful children. i have paid thousands and thousands of dollars in legal fees to get her residency, at least that. and all immigration, all they want to do is take my wife out of this country, send her to nicaragua for 18 months to five years waiting for her papers over there. why they want to do that? she don't have no family over there. she was brought here when she was a child. >> i married my wife here in madison, who is a philippine citizen. she was in this country legally

under papers, whatever she needed. we got married. we filed the appropriate papers with the government, and then her father passed away and we had to go to the philippines to attend her father's funeral. unbeknownst to us, you can't leave while your paperwork is pending. we've been fighting for three years now to get her back in the united states because she left on a legal -- legal document, you know, and we can't get her back into the country. >> what do you think, folks? we got to fix this? the debate over immigration in this country should be focused on those folks, the suffering of the people in the shadows who put up with the government red tape. it should not be about scoring political points. i mean, why are we doing this? are we doing this just because all of the sudden we want to be nice? are we doing this because we can help the country? yes. but we're also doing this because we are a compassionate country, and we shouldn't be

doing this to people. and we need to remind ourselves. we're part of the problem. one of the reasons why we are where we are with illegal immigration in this country is because we haven't defended the border over the decades. we have allowed corporations to hire illegal workers. and now it's just exploded. so why are we doing this now? we're doing it because it is the right thing to do for america. but i see some bureaucratic red tape coming down the pike, and i think we need to be a little bit concerned about this. now, the righties out there are saying well, obama care, it's just too much government intervention. what about this? listen to the real folks calling a talk show, talking about what they're living with. first of all, you got to fix the visa backlog. okay? how do you do that? you get people engaged to do it and you start making phone calls and calling them. in maybe you can use the dmv. i mean, this is one of the big problems right here, the backlog. what that gentleman was talking about off the radio show. and a time frame. can we make it reasonable?

do we want to tell these folks hey, you got to wait another 12 or 13 years. what? some of these folks have been here more than ten years. can't we get them on the fast track? how much loyalty do they have to show? what the republicans are afraid of is that they'll vote for the democrats so, we got to slow this baby down a little bit. the other thing is paying fines and back taxes. all right. let's take, for instance, that there is someone out there who has been in the shadows for maybe ten years. comes out, identifies himself, gets a little bit of amnesty. i know that's a dirty word. but all of the sudden this person who is a low wage worker has to pay fines. and oh, by the way, you have to pay back taxes on the last nine or ten years you've been here. you know what this is? this is shaking down the poor is what it is. this isn't about immigration and bringing people into the system. this is about paying fines and back taxes, and that's what the righties are fighting for. that's wrong. that is really wrong. and that is overboard. what we need to be is compassionate. these folks don't have to pay

fines or shouldn't have to do back taxes. bring them into the fold. why do you think they're in america? get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question, who has a better plan for immigration reform? text a for the president. text b for republicans in congress to 622639. you can go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. we'll bring you results later on in the show. i'm joined tonight by karen finney, msnbc analyst and former communications director for the dnc. and e.j. dee dionne, author of the book "our divided political heart" which is now available in paper book. way to roll, e.d. deion. >> good to be with you. >> i'm so bothered by this. i really feel like we're headed down the road of bureaucratic red tape instead of helping the voices that you just heard on this program. e.j., why are we doing this? >> i mean, let's be honest.

we're doing this because barack obama won an election and got overwhelming support for latinos. and republicans looked at the latino numbers and a lot of them are saying we can't be stuck in this position if we're to win an election another day. now, i do think there are republicans who have been serious about this. john mccain is actually one of them with a very brief detour during the 2008 campaign. but you're right. we're also doing this because this is the right thing. and it's one of the things mccain said that day, which is really powerful, where he said these are folks we have come into our country to do work for the country, for the rest of us. we have created the conditions in which they came in here. shouldn't they have equal rights to citizenship? and i got to say, one of the things that heartens me about the debate so far is i was worried that we were going to have a big fight over whether we create a whole class of people who would be resident noncitizens, people without citizenship rights. >> yeah. >> and so far the republicans

aren't doing that. and i take that as a positive sign that we're going to turn these folks into rights-bearing americans. >> do we have to grow up as americans on this issue, karen? do we have to evolve? maybe that's the better word. amnesty is going to be a part of this. why are we afraid of that? would the republicans even consider doing this if they couldn't score political points? your thoughts. >> i think as e.j. pointed out, i think there are some for whom there is a political reality that has brought them to the table. and you can tell they've done their homework. there is now two memos that have gone out from different groups to republicans kind of saying here is how you talk about these issues. right. you don't talk about anchor babies and we don't talk about aliens. and you notice that their language, they have rubio out there trying to help garner support from the tea party folks. and they're talking about tough and fair. i guess on some level, yeah we have to grow up, ed. but there is a part of me that feels like if we end up with good policy in this instance, and if it meant that people came to the table because of politics, but we end up with good policy that's the right

thing to do, i think that's a good result. >> that's a great point. i don't think it's good policy to have someone come forward who has been in this country for ten-plus years and say they got to wait a long time before they're an american citizen. >> right. >> i think the more they get it on the fast track, and the more humane we are about this, the better country we're going to be. and i think that's what we got to focus on. >> i think you're right about that, ed. and i hope that when we talk about -- it's all still vague. but fixing the broken system. i mean, that needs to be part of it. and because this are plenty of people who have been in this country who have actually actually followed the rules exactly, and are still stuck in this backlog. clearly, there is a very real problem with the backlog. and as you pointed out, the human toll that that is taking. again, my point is talking about tough and fair means we can get people to the table to get something to help this situation, i think that's a good result. >> john boehner reacting to the president's speech today in las vegas spokesman released a statement saying we hope the

president is careful not to drag the debate to the left. e.j., what is to the left on this issue? either you're going to do it or not. >> the republicans have been very funny about this. until now, they have said, well, the president didn't take leadership on this issue. he didn't put out his own proposal. that wasn't entirely true, but they were criticizing him for not being out there. so now the president is out there, and they're criticizing him for being out there, and accusing him of dragging the debate to the left. this is not a left-right issue there are a lot of republicans, a lot of business people, the honest business people want to resolve this. >> i thought amnesty meant peace. >> it does. >> i thought amnesty meant can't we all just get along? i mean, they've been here for a long time. i also think that there is going to be a trust level here involved that if you tell folks that if they come out of the shadows, but better be giving them guarantees that they are not going to have any retribution against them whatsoever. and i think this fine thing and

paying back taxes is going to scare a lot of them, and fear is going to be a factor in all of this. we can go on forever. great to have both of you with us tonight, karen finney and e.j. dionne. thank you to both of you. remember, answer the question at the bottom of the screen and on twitter and facebook. we always want to know what you think. president obama kicks it into high gear. but john boehner says the president needs to what? get to work? bob shrum joins me next. [ male ] a lot of sinus products don't treat cough. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope, but alka seltzer plus severe sinus does it treats your worst sinus symptoms, plus that annoying cough. [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is! [ angry gibberish ] [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is! why let constipation stry miralax.? mirlax works differently than other laxatives. it draws water into your colon to unblock your system naturally. don't wait to feel great. miralax. omnipotent of opportunity.

you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro.

john kerry is confirmed as the next secretary of state and hillary clinton bids farewell to the state department. we'll have the details on all of that coming up. and later, senators kelly ayotte and pat toomey wanted relief money for hurricane sandy victims until they had to vote for it. we'll look at more republican hypocrisy on disaster relief of the past with salon's joan walsh. you can listen to my radio show on sirius xm radio monday through friday noon to 3:00 p.m. share your thoughts with us on facebook and on twitter using

the hash tag edshow. we're coming right back. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. ♪ things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply.

welcome back to "the ed show." thanks for staying with us tonight. president obama has not taken a breather since inauguration a week ago. house of representatives, well, they're on vacation. and yet here is what the national republican congressional committee tweeted today. sign the petition to tell the president to get to work? the job isn't done. house speaker john boehner retweeted the same message. it's time for a brief recap of what president obama has been doing on the job. today, of course, it was the immigration speech in las vegas. and if you look like a man with wind at his back, yeah, i would say there is a pretty good

reason. yesterday the president and vice president met with law enforcement around the country in pursuit of common sense gun measures. let's get to work. and president obama has named a new chief of staff. the president has named the team who will do their best to protect consumers from huge financial institutions. the week before the inauguration, president obama unveiled his plan for gun safety, and he signed executive orders to make it more difficult for criminals and mentally ill to get guns. let's get to work. president obama named chuck hagel for defense and john brennan to the cia. president obama had previously named senator kerry as the new secretary of state, which has now been confirmed. and on the first day of this year, the president and vice president secured the fiscal cliff deal. now, folks, those are just the highlights. but congressional republicans think the president should get to work? here is what happened in the house of representatives today. >> without objection, the house

stands adjourned until friday, februa february 1st, 2013. >> friday february 1st? they're cutting out. they're going somewhere, not working. let's bring in bob shrum, contributor of the daily beast. bob, good to have you with us tonight. >> glad to be here, ed. >> you bet. this is quite a strategy to jab at the president like this when they have probably taken more time off than anybody in america in the month of january. does this win? >> no, look. it's a tweet that makes john boehner look like a twit. it's a juvenile move. but there is a method to it. they got to keep their tea party caucus happy. they're losing on issue after issue to the president. so they have to look like they're fighting the president. you were right as you reviewed what went on. i mean, they lost on the fiscal cliff and the top rate tax increases. they backed down on the debt limit. if you listen to paul ryan on "meet the press" last sunday, it's clear they're not going back there.

there is movement on immigration reform. you have a bipartisan group of senators. some of them pretty conservative, very conservative working on a background check in terms of gun control. and boehner himself may have to bring a number of bills to the floor of the house where a majority of his caucus is against them. so he has to sound tough, even if it's bluster. he is not the only one, by the way. marco rubio, who has moved tord the president on immigration reform is simultaneously attacking the president on immigration reform. >> so it's easy to say the republicans are being caught totally off their game by the pace of the obama agenda. fair enough? >> i think that's true. and when the president gave his inaugural address, there were all these comments about how far left it was orout how far out of the mainstream it was. and there have now been a whole series of polls that confirm that the american people agree with him on almost every single issue that he raised in that inaugural address. you know, nobody has used the word yet, partly because i think karl rove fouled it after 2004 when he proclaimed there was a

political realignment in this country. but i think there has been a political realignment. it's an obama realignment. and as i've heard you say before, i think this is now a center left country. the president's right on all these issues. republicans are kind of having a nervous breakdown, don't know what to do about it, so they're playing these kinds of games. >> well, it is our new theme here on the program. yes, we do say let's get to work. but let's call it what it is. this is a center left country. the issues are very progressive that people are polling very strongly in favor of. and another theme out of the republican party is victimization. i mean, you've got boehner and you got ryan and you got limbaugh. all seem to think that president obama is out to just destroy the gop. what a weak presentation of where they are, i would say. >> well, first of all, it would be impossible to victimize rush limbaugh. he is the great -- he is the great guy who is going out after people all the time. it would be very hard to feel sorry for him.

it's even hard toer to feel sorry for boehner when he cries or says something stupid like the president wants to annihilate the republican party. the president believes in a two-party system. these guys don't. but they're now totally out of step with the country. they're melt do you think because so many of their members are having trouble coming to terms with the fact that this is becoming a majority nonwhite america. >> yeah. >> you have some sensible republicans who think they need to move toward the center. but they're going to have a very hard time. this immigration bill, you watch some of the republican rhetoric from the opponents that comes out doctoring this fight over immigration reform. it's going to alienate hispanics further. >> well, really? you think will do that? here is what -- if the president is out to destroy the gop, why did he give credit to the eight senators that were on the platform yesterday saying they have come to a consensus, come to an agreement and they're trod move forward on it? he would have been slamming the righties on that, and he hasn't. he wants them to get to work. he wants them. and if he doesn't do it, he'll

step forward with his plan. i think this is a great plan for the republicans to gain favor with a demographic where they are sorely in trouble. >> it is. except 80% or 85% of the members of the house, and the shouse where the big problem is, 85% of the members come from very republican districts dominated by tea party types. they're afraid to move toward the center on any of these things because they think they'll face a primary. i mean, there is a primary being organized against mitch mcconnell, the senate minority leader in kentucky right now because people think he is too liberal or too moderate. that's laughable. but that's the dilemma of the republican party. >> and he is not very popular in kentucky from what i hear as of late. bob shrum, great to have you with us tonight. thank you so much. coming up, only three republican senators voted against john kerry's confirmation for secretary of state today. we'll tell you who they are and why they should not have voted no. next. then these workers simply want a chance to tell their story in the workplace. but tonight they're fighting one

of the world's biggest companies for their basic civil liberties. we'll explain from mississippi. stay with us. we're right back. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] it was designed to escape the ordinary. it feels like it can escape gravity. ♪ the 2013 c-class coupe. ♪ starting at $37,800.

♪ olaf gets great rewards for his small business! pizza! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve great rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet?

or double miles on every purchase, every day! i have obligations. cute tobligations, but obligations.g. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal.

yeah, i'm looking to save, but i'm not sure which policy is right for me. you should try our coverage checker. it helps you see if you have too much coverage or not enough, making it easier to get what you need. [ beeping ] these are great! [ beeping ] how are you, um, how are you doing? i'm going to keep looking over here. probably a good idea. ken: what's a good idea? nothing. with coverage checker, it's easy to find your perfect policy. visit progressive.com today. the ayes are 94. the nays are 3. and the nomination of john forbes kerry of massachusetts to be our new secretary of state is confirmed. >> reporting for duty. earlier today, the united states senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm senator john kerry as

our next secretary of state. only three republican senators voted no. >> mr. cruz, no. mr. cornyn, no. mr. inhofe, no. >> john cornyn and ted cruz opposed john kerry's confirmation, and of course oklahoma senator james inhofe voted now. we should point out that senator inhofe is terrible at flying airplanes but great at denying the science of global warming there is no reason they should have voted against john kerry's confirmation. he is without a doubt the most qualified person to be our next secretary of state. john kerry has served on the senate foreign relations committee for, let's see, 28 years? in the last four as chairman, as has served four years of the united states navy including active duty in the vietnam war. he has run for president, kind of knows what is happening. and he also already has travelled the globe on behalf of the obama administration, helping mend strained relations with afghanistan and pakistan. during kerry'ses nomination, president obama called him the

perfect person for the job. >> i think it's fair to say that few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasp our foreign policies as firmly as john kerry. and this makes him a perfect choice to guide american diplomacy in the years ahead. >> meanwhile, in a shocking move, wisconsin senator ron johnson voted for john kerry's confirmation today. see, on thursday johnson was kind of put in his place by senator kerry after trying to make a scene over benghazi. >> will you work with me then on an ongoing basis so we can get that behind us, so we can find out what actually happened and we can move beyond that. can you just make that commitment to me? >> i think, senator, in all fairness, i think we do know what happened. i think that it is very clear. were you at the briefing with the tapes? >> no. >> well, there was a briefing with tapes which we all saw, those of us who went to it. which made it crystal clear. >> well, senator johnson vote

correctly, and let's hope he has learned his lesson that it's good to attend committee meetings. john kerry's first day as secretary of state will be this friday, february 1st there is a lot more coming up in the next half hour of "the ed show." stay with us. workers at a nissan plant are clashing with management over their voice in the workplace. tonight we're going to mississippi for the story of a modern-day civil rights struggle. plus hillary clinton drops a few hints about her future in her state department farewell. those comments are ahead. and 36 senators voted against relief for victims of hurricane sandy. >> it would have been an absolute disgrace for them to change the rules when new york and new jersey -- >> coming up, i'll take the sandy 36 to task with salon's joan walsh. [ male announcer ] at his current pace,

bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not.

♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. behind the silver of philadelphia cream cheese. it always begins with fresh, local milk, blended with real wholesome cream. going fresh from the farm, to our fridge, in just six days. because we believe in fresh taste. that's the way we set the standard for intensely rich, luscious flavor. so our story of fresh taste always ends... deliciously. when it comes to taste, philadelphia sets the standard. thanks for staying with us

tonight. we often talk about the middle class on this program. we talk about a rising tide lifts all boats. i believe in that. i also believe that voices this the workplace lift the quality of life of workers in this country. and there is a new civil rights battle in a town where martin luther king first marched almost 50 years ago. some workers at this nissan plant in canton, mississippi, they want to vote. they want to organize. now a coalition of activist workers, students, and clergy members have joined forces in the community to make sure that thousands of employees get a chance to be heard. now some of the workers say the supervisors hold anti-union meetings. the workers just want to hear from the pro union side so they can have a fair vote. that's all they want to do is vote. the naacp has been involved for months on this issue. 70% of the workers at the canton plant are african-american. representative bennie tom addressed the issue back in june. >> in america, being able to

decide whether or not you want representation is a fundamental a political principle of human rights, civil rights and democracy. >> this same week those same civil rights organizers held another news conference, of all places, they're serious, they went all the way to detroit. the detroit auto show. that's where they got up when it got under way. actor danny glover spoke. he is actively campaigning for the nissan workers rights. organizers are planning more news conferences at auto shows in chicago, in atlanta in the next few months. they're not going to give up. they're hoping the attention will simply help the workers in canton to get a choice about organizing. to be fair, not all of the employees want the union. nissan told us today that they just think a few employees are pushing for the vote. and it's understandably a full-time worker at a nissan assembly plant in canton, mississippi makes about $24.50 an hour.

a long-time uaw worker makes $28 per hour. it's a good living. workers tell us they like their jobs there. >> there is a lot of people that want to be here. and this job, this place can change a lot of lives. and, you know, the pride, it's in the vehicles themselves. >> but here is the problem. workers have the right to organize. it's the law. and nissan has a reputation for beating back the unions. this summer, nissan's ceo promised not to pressure the employees. he told reuters we will naturally remain very neutral on this. but that same ceo reportedly made a big screen anti-union speech to workers in smyrna, mississippi, back in 2001. he told them the union might make this plant be not competitive and possibly shut down. shortly after that speech, smyrna workers rejected uaw by about 1600 votes. workers in canton say they feel threatened and intimidated if

they talk about organizing. so we asked nissan here on "the ed show" about those claims today. david reuter told us, "we treat our employees with respect and routinely engage in an open dialogue on topics that impact our business." but in the same conversation, riot reuter also made this statement. if you're pro union, you're anti-nissan. i'm joined tonight by two people who say they're not anti-nissan. betty jones, a nissan employee, and derek johnson, president of the mississippi state naacp, and you can see workers behind them this evening from mississippi joining us here on "the ed show." great to have both of you with us. this has been going on for a long time. betty, you have worked at nissan for ten years. why do you want to organize? what is this about? >> it was about us having a voice. it's about us coming together in unity with nissan. we're not here to bash nissan.

we're here to join in unity with them, and to let them know that we do have a voice, and we have ideas to make this company a better company. and we just feel like with these anti-union meetings that we are being threatened, people on the job want to have a voice and want to organize, but they feel like if they do organize, they're going to lose their overtime. pay going to drop, and they want to, but just fear for their jobs. and i don't think that we should work in our jobs we fear. we should go there, due process at the process, do the job to the best of our abilities and we will produce quality vehicles for our customers. >> okay. derek johnson, why is this a civil is rights issue? you have stated that before. why is it that way, in your opinion? >> well, worker rights have always been a civil rights issues. the struggle we had to abolish slavery was about worker rights. the struggles in the '60s was about the right of workers being able to organize.

in fact, dr. king was assassinated as he was organizing workers in memphis who wanted the right to have a voice as sanitation workers. so we see worker rights on the same playing field as voting rights, civil rights. it is about human dignity. and workers at nissan should know when they go to work on a monday morning, they should be able to predict whether or not they go to work three hours that day or 12 hours that day, whether or not they're going to work seven days a week or five days a week. how can workers be expected to raise a family, have a quality of life if a company like nissan don't respect them as human beings? >> betty, are there health and safety issues on the job in your opinion? >> yes, it is. i mean, it's always room for improvement in areas on the job. i mean, yes, some areas are safe and some areas are not safe. but the point is that we have a voice. in dealing with safety, pay, how to do our jobs better. and we feel like that ideas do

count. and nissan make us feel that they don't. so we want to organize to go with them in unity with them, to sit at the bargaining table, to make things better for us as a whole, us as a unity because where there is unity there is power and there is strength. and at least all we want is for us to be heard. and we do that process each and every day. and it's about -- we drive those vehicles. and we feel like that we should have the opportunity to sit with the department managers and the plant managers, sit at the table and bargain with them, let them know our ideas and what is better way to make the community better. and that's all about the community and us as family growing in mississippi. and we in mississippi do have a voice. >> what are the chances of you getting -- what are the chances, betty, of you getting a vote in the workplace? >> i don't think it's a chance where nissan is concerned. but with us as a union, that

want to unionize, i believe it's a great opportunity for us. and we will get there. >> okay. >> because we will never stop. >> derrick, what is the naacp doing to help these workers? >> well, we've joined with pastors from across the state. we've organized committee as we've received calls, we're working with workers over their concerns. we're showing the workers that we have support. we're gathered here tonight at tupelo college because we understand that workers need support. they are an important part of our community. they are parishioners in our church, they are members of the naacp, they are human beings. and if workers in brazil can organize who work for nissan, if workers who japan who are nissan workers, if workers in south africa at their nissan plant are organize and able to collectively bargain, why shouldn't mississippi workers be able to organize? i think it's unfair and unfathomable that a company from outside of the united states come to mississippi and treat workers as unamerican. it is unfortunate that we can

sit here today in the state that has a long history of exploiting workers for cheap labor to allow an international company to exploit our workers. we will not stand for it. as clergy, we will not stand for it as naacp, and we willstan stand with the workers. >> okay. it's a story to follow. i know that danny glover is involved in this as far as telling the global story about how other countries are treating workers, and yet it seems to be getting worse for workers in this country. all you want is your voices heard and an opportunity for a vote in the workplace. it's a story we'll follow. betty jones and derrick johnson and all the folks down this in canton, mississippi, i really appreciate it. you got one more thing to say, derrick? >> ed, i want people to go to underneaththehood.org, the committee. we've set up a website so you can learn more about what has taken place. because workers in mississippi, they are citizens of this country, they are humans, and they should be treated as such. >> okay. thank you so much. appreciate you're time tonight. >> thank you. coming up, hillary clinton held her final town hall today.

addressing rumors of a 2016 presidential bid and the future of women in leadership. i'll bring you those comments. stay with us.

and of course we love hearing from our viewers on facebook and on twitter. many of you are still talking about the "fox & friends" theory that hillary clinton may have been pushed when she recently suffered a concussion. on facebook, renee writes was she pushed? gee, i don't know. was there a republican nearby? david williams says the more you want fox news, the less you know. and barack obama and hillary clinton are the gop apocalypse. of course fox freaked. you can go on to our facebook page right now and join in on the conversation. and don't forget to like "the ed show" when you're this. we appreciate that. still to come, 36 senators voted no on sandy relief. i'll ask salon's joan walsh why disaster relief is becoming such a political football in this

country. a big political pond. we're right back. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

and we are back. secretary of state hillary clinton hosted her 59th town hall this morning, giving people around the world an opportunity to ask questions before her last day as secretary of state on friday. one question secretary clinton wasn't quite ready to answer, will she run for president in 2016. >> i am not thinking about anything like that right now. i am looking forward to finishing up my ten chure as secretary of state, and then catching up on 20 years of sleep deprivation. >> while she talked down a presidential bid, she used the moment to stress how important it is for women to compete at the highest level. >> i do want to see more women compete for the highest positions in their countries. and i will do what i can, whether or not it is up to me to make a decision on my own

future. i right now am not inclined to do that. but i will do everything i can to make sure that women compete at the highest levels not only in the united states, but around the world. women are subjecting themselves to the political process, which is never easy anywhere. and i want to see more of that. you have to have a thick skin, i will tell you that. but it's really important that women are out there competing at the highest levels of government and business. >> after republicans' well documented war on women, we need more leaders like hillary clinton challenging women to stay engaged in the political process. it takes a lot of guts, and she's got it. and whatever the future holds for secretary clinton, her continued success and the record number of women elected to congress in 2012 should serve as a real inspiration. tonight in our survey, i asked you who has a better plan for immigration reform. 97% of you say president obama. 3% of you say the republicans in congress. coming up, republicans

politicized disaster relief once again. joan walsh visits with me about the hypocrisy on the right. that's next. suddenly, she does something unexpected and you see the woman you fell in love with. she's everything to you. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity.

do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more... [ midwestern/chicago accent ] cheddar! yeah! 50 percent more [yodeling] yodel-ay-ee-oo. 50% more flash. [ southern accent ] 50 percent more taters. that's where tots come from. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who like more cash. 50% more spy stuff. what's in your wallet? this car is too small. and in the big finish tonight, you know, when disaster strikes, we count on our elected officials to get us help so we can get back on our feet. as americans, that's what we do. in the past, providing federal relief for victims of a natural disaster didn't cause any controversy whatsoever. it was just something that we did as a country. we did to help our fellow

americans. it was routine. it's something senator roy blunt talked about after the deadliest tornado in over 60 years struck the town of joplin, missouri, his home state of missouri. >> well, you know, abraham lincoln when he described this new political party that he was part of said that this was a party that believed that people should -- that government should do for people what people cannot do for themselves. and that involves things like defending the country. but it also involves things like responding to a disaster. >> yet, three months after one of the biggest storms ever to hit the united states, the republican party is now playing politics with disaster aid. and this latest senate vote pretty much proves it, folks. yesterday the senate approved just over $50 billion in disaster aid for victims of hurricane sandy. it was the second part of a larger disaster relief package, and the measure passed, 62-36. should we point out that all 36 no votes came from republicans?

republicans roy blunt, the person you just heard from. demanding that the federal government reimburse 100% of the costs for the joplin disaster. republicans say it's all about offsets. here is senator pat toomey of pennsylvania, another no vote, explaining the republican logic. >> at some point we need to start making choices around here. at some point we can't just have everything. that's how you get trillion deficits. that's how you end up like greece. >> well, toomey lobbied for hurricane sandy relief money from fema for his constituents before the storm made landfall. senator kelly ayotte and all of new hampshire, another no vote. she appealed for sandy relief fund for her state. john boozman of arkansas requested federal disaster money for storm damage in his state just four days before he voted no on sandy relief. and the hypocrisy continues from there. as think progress reports, at

least 31 of the republican no votes previously supported emergency aid efforts in their own states, including senators from coastal states like florida. have they ever had a hurricane? texas, alabama, georgia, and the carolinas. let's bring in joan walsh, editor at large for salon, and author of "what's the matter with white people?" . great to have you with us tonight, joan. >> thanks, ed. >> this, considering the tradition of meshes helping americans, this is certainly out of step with what we normally do. but 80% of senate republicans voted no on disaster relief. i mean, are they just being republicans, or is this the new way we're going to handle natural disasters? >> it's a whole new brand of republicanism, as roy blunt himself made clear. you know, he quoted abraham lincoln, that fine republican, and he said it himself at a time that he was seeking funds for his own state. we do the things for one another that we cannot do alone.

that's a basic principle, a bipartisan principle of government there is probably no better example, except maybe defense than disaster relief. and so, you know, you did a great job just laying out those amazing hypocrites. i mean, also senate minority leader mitch mcconnell and his friend rand paul, they also sought disaster funding for tornadoes in kentucky. but again voted against this. 31 of 36 had gone to bat for their own states. they believed in it when it happened to them. it's really a measure of exactly what has gone wrong with this party. >> you know, the republicans say they want offsets. so let's play politics here with them. should democrats demand higher taxes on the wealthy before they agree to giving any disaster relief to a red state? i mean, if we're going to be that way about it. >> sure. i mean, absolutely. you know, and i believe we should have a higher tax base

and higher tax rates and close loopholes so we can afford to do the things that we desperately need to do. and disaster relief is one of those things. >> think about this. they want to be mean to the people on the east coast that went through sandy. so the next time this is a tornado down in tennessee, senator corker, or mr. sessions, down in alabama, or pick any senator, mr. grassley, there might be a drought in the state of iowa some time and he might want some disaster relief. >> sure. >> maybe we'll just turn to your residents to make sure that we raise your taxes so we can give these offsets, so we can do these disaster relief. i mean, the fabric of the country is being torn by this leadership in the republican party. what is mitch mcconnell thinking? >> it is. >> he's got to be facing a primary. as far as mcconnell goes, will we see the gop try to repair itself any time soon? >> you're right, he is thinking about a primary challenge. that's all any of them care about. they also aren't fond of those two -- those fantastic blue states that were hit by sandy,

which they have plenty of republican voters. it is. it's hypocrisy, and it's the new brand of republicanism. and, you know, we will not turn around and do the same thing to them, because that's not what we're like. that's not what democrats do, like it or not. >> does it fall, joan, right in line with health care? >> yes, it does. >> if you don't get insurance, well, too bad. >> you die. >> if you're living somewhere and the weather gets bad and rips your town apart and takes your home away, well, you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. i mean, that's the republican plan right here. all about themselves. >> it's all about offsets, and it's all about denigrating the role of government, and just saying that we're a people who can't afford to do the things that we have always done for one another. and it's not a popular point of view. they lost big-time this last election cycle. they'll continue to lose. >> they certainly did. well, disaster relief in the ag world. that is very commonplace with this global warming that we're expecting. >> sure. >> so let's pay